Contents & Aims

The Master’s program “Sociology – European Societies” is a research-oriented program. It reflects current debates in theory-driven and problem-oriented research and students learn to develop their own empirical research project in the third semester. The curriculum offers a range of approaches to theory and methods – spanning fields of culture, social structure, politics, European integration and transformation – and encourages active participation in research, from the identification of relevant questions to delivering sound results. The program has a focus on quantitative methods, but students can also further develop their skills in qualitative approaches.

The program emphasizes the comparative sociological study of European societies in a globalized and transnational world. It aims to enable students to apply theoretical and empirical tools of sociology to

• describe and explain social structural, economic, and cultural differences across European countries;
• understand the ways in which European societies are transformed by processes of regional integration;
• investigate Europe in the context of globalization and in contrast and connection to other world regions.

If you are interested in studying the Master’s program, please visit the Online Studies Selection Guide (OSA) for further information.

Curriculum

Course Structure

The program is divided into four stages: Basics – Consolidation – Specialization and a Final stage.

• Overview of the course structure 

Lectures, Timetable and Current information

Here you can find current information on the program, descriptions and timetables of the current lectures and seminars offered as part of the master’s program.

• Lecture Timetable Winter Semester 2020/2021 (KVV)
• Lecture Timetable Summer Semester 2020 (KVV)
• Lecture Timetable Winter Semester 2019/2020 (KVV)

Welcome Brochure

Cooperation

The Master’s program benefits from the involvement of renowned research centers and institutes:

• Three institutes for Area Studies at Freie Universität, the Institute for East-European Studies (OEI), the John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies (JFK), and the Institute for Latin American Studies (LAI), offer institutional and historical comparative perspectives on European societies in a global context.
• Two world leading research centers of the social sciences, the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB) and the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), offer rich and in-depth perspectives on current sociological research and provide access to valuable data.

Language

All lectures and most seminars are taught in English, some seminars are offered in German